Laser punching machine

A punching machine for executing holes on metal plates, comprising:

• a stationary support structure below which a metal plate can be positioned and moved,
• a movable equipment supported by the support structure and including a first slide and a second slide, linearly movable along a pair of mutually orthogonal Cartesian axes and bearing respective sliding guides directed orthogonally to the respective axes of movement, and a laser cutting head having a vertical axis and configured to focus a laser beam on the metal plate, said laser head being provided with cursors able to move along said guides, in such a way that the movement of each slide of said first slide and said second slide along the related Cartesian axis produces a corresponding movement of the laser head relative to the other slide,
• first and second actuators to actuate the movement of said first slide and said second slide, respectively, in a relatively restricted space with high velocities and accelerations;
• balancing means with movable balancing masses operatively associated to said first and second slide;
• and
• wherein each of said first slide and said second slide comprises a respective balancing mass, linearly movable, by respective third and fourth actuators, in opposite direction to the direction of movement of the related slide of said first slide and said second slide, with equal velocities and accelerations.